Chelovek-amfibiya

The movie became a cult classic the instant it was released. The actors became famous overnight. The music is still recognisable and remembered. This film is a masterpiece of world cinema no less. It is based on the novel of the same title by Alexander Beliaev, one of the pioneer of Russian SF. The script is pretty close to the original text. I think that Beliaev would be happy to see that movie. The actors are not only beautiful, they are stylish and they act well. The naive young Ikhtiandr is so believable that you can`t help but feel sad over his destiny. There are few effects but due to that the movie is still not dated. Ikhtiandr`s costume was handmade piece of art.

I finally saw this movie for the first time tonight, and thought it was enthralling. It creates a mood and a vibe with its music and imagery that sort of draws you into its dreamy embrace. The two lead characters are both so beautiful that it gives the movie a storybook quality. Acting is impressive. Science fiction takes a distant back door to romance in the storyline., but the small role it plays really enhances the drama of the story. If you are enamored of more modern cinematography, the production values in Amphibian Man will seem primitive, but if you appreciate old film styles, this is a classic piece of art from the early 1960s.

'Amphibian Man' is one of the oddest movies I've ever seen. From the title, and the initial premise - poor fishman and their families are frightened by an unknown monster they nickname "the sea devil" - you might think you're in for a 'Creature From The Black Lagoon' style monster movie, but this movie is a completely different thing. What kind of "thing" it is exactly is difficult to summarize, because I can't honestly think of any other movie I've seen which is quite like it. Technically SF, but more of a fantasy romance in execution. It is a very unusual but charming movie. The "monster" turns out to be the son of a local benevolent scientist who has had shark gills transplanted into his body and has a secret underwater life. He falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a local fisherman who has been betrothed to an ambitious cad she doesn't love. It is a marriage borne of economic necessity. Pretty soon Amphibian Man and Ambitious Cad clash and our hero finds himself persecuted, and eventually kidnapped. I really enjoyed this film, it has quite a unique, eccentric feel to it and has some genuinely touching moments, and even a song or two. The production values are quite impressive for the era, the premise is interestingly handled, and the acting is generally above average. I was fortunate enough to watch the Russian print with English subtitles. I believe there are some badly dubbed versions of this movie around so try and avoid those if you can and see the original to fully appreciate this little gem.

Perhaps this is one of the best Sci-Fiction film ever produced in the history of cinema for its content. Its presentation may not be the best due to color problems and very much evident make up of the actors and actresses. I assume that the story was going on in a territory of any Latin American country, probably Mexico. The plot is about a young man able also to live normally in the sea. His father, a scientist and physician, built up a laboratory in the depth of the ocean where his son passes part of his life. Being a rare organism, his father always warned him not to visit nearby city, but love came over when he met a nice lady sinking in the sea, and with this all problems started. The film showed that early 60s the Soviet directors and producers were not very much aware of the music in Latin America. Dancing was Spanish-like and not Latin American as such. Names chosen for the heroes of the film were also rare. The lady is called Gutiere when Gutiérrez is a common surname in Spanish, then Ichtiandros is the name of the main actor of the film, again an invention. In any case, it is nice to see several shots made in the sea, in a really beautiful environment, and also to see nice diving and swimming of various actors. Excitement is also assured in this material. However, it does not have the Hollywood-Happy End. It is more realistic in its end. The film has also its morale showing the miseries of people trying to make money, no matter if it is playing with the life of a human being.

If this is the film I think it is, they showed it, alot, on a horror/movie program in New York in the 60's called "Thriller". I have been trying to find this for years! I tell all my friends about this film and I remember it as "The Amphibian Man". I also remember it was sad, very sad, that is why it stuck with me for years. Silly thing was, I thought it was an Italian film so that is where I've been trying to find it! I am a big horror film fan because at 4 years old, my older brothers watched these Saturday night New York Shows on Channel 5 (Creature Double Feature) and 11 (Thriller). This was during a time when there was not that many remotes so what they looked at, as the little sister, I had to look at too. Which is why I remember this film and haven't seen it since I was seven years old. (By that time we got cable, my brothers were older and I got the tv!) And let me add one more thing, many IMDb poster have written about films ripe for "remakes" for Hollywood Directors and Producers other than the ones they are doing. If I was one of those folks, I'd put this on my list to consider. This is a Speilberg-esque family sci-fi film just waiting to be remade. Then again, I like it just fine the way it is.